Deusdedit RuhangariyoSpecial to ICT
Around the World: Uyghurs experience highest imprisonment rate globally, Argentine Indigenous groups unite for waterway preservation, Beef2024 highlights Indigenous ingredients in Australia, Sámi Parliament board submits UN complaint regarding Norway election re-run, and Inuit womens’ lawsuit criticizing Quebec and Canada child welfare system advances
CHINA: 1 in 26 Uyghurs incarcerated
An Uyghur advocacy group’s report highlights that about one in 26 Uyghurs in China’s far-western Xinjiang region are presently incarcerated, representing the world’s highest incarceration rate, Radio Free Asia reported on May 2.
According to a report by the Uyghur Human Rights Project, Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in China’s Xinjiang region face an alarming rate of incarceration, with approximately 3,814 individuals per 100,000 people behind bars. This rate is a staggering 47 times higher than China’s overall incarceration rate of 80 per 100,000. The report, released on April 25, also highlights that this figure surpasses even El Salvador’s known highest incarceration rate of 1,086 per 100,000.
The Uyghur Human Rights Project estimates that as of 2022, a total of 578,500 Uyghurs or other Turkic people were imprisoned, constituting over one-third of China’s total prison population. Remarkably, despite comprising only 1 percent of China’s overall population, they disproportionately make up a significant portion of those incarcerated. The project suggests this figure remains consistent or potentially higher today.
Among the prominent individuals imprisoned is Rahile Dawut, a Uyghur folklore expert and ethnographer, who received a life sentence in December 2018 for “splittism.” Another example is Gulshan Abbas, a retired Uyghur doctor, sentenced on “terrorism” charges in September 2018. The U.S. State Department has condemned the unjust imprisonment of Dawut and other Uyghur intellectuals for their efforts to safeguard Uyghur culture.
The report’s findings are based on data spanning 2017-2022 from the Xinjiang High People’s Procuratorate and China’s Ministry of Justice website. During this period, one in 26 Uyghurs or members of other Turkic ethnicities in Xinjiang was incarcerated. Many of these incarcerations are linked to activities associated with practicing Islam, such as Quranic study or teaching.
Ben Carrdus, senior researcher at the Uyghur Human Rights Project, suggests the actual situation in Xinjiang might be graver than reported. He points out the incarcerated individuals represent only a portion of those affected and doesn’t include those detained in alleged vocational training centers. These centers, purportedly closed by the Chinese government, were sites of political indoctrination and widespread human rights abuses.
John Kamm, executive director of the Dui Hua Foundation, stressed the need to highlight the plight of Uyghurs in prison to garner international attention and pressure for their release. Carrdus echoes this sentiment, urging the global community not to overlook the ongoing injustices faced by the Uyghurs, emphasizing that the situation continues to deteriorate, with individuals being shifted from internment camps to prisons.
ARGENTINA: A trek for water preservation
Indigenous Mapuche activists recently completed an 847-kilometer (526-mile) trek along Argentina’s Chubut River, engaging communities to highlight shared waterway concerns, Mongabay reported April 30.
From each trawün, or gathering, they concluded that Indigenous access to land and water is dwindling, with large-scale projects proceeding without prior informed consent, necessitating a unified stance among Mapuche communities toward state decisions.
Huge expanses of land along the river have been acquired by private interests, including foreign millionaires, effectively blocking Mapuche access to the Chubut, which they view not just as a physical resource but as a spiritual entity.
Additionally, the Mapuche express worry about policy shifts under Argentina’s new libertarian administration, initiating a significant deregulation campaign and potentially lifting a ban on open-pit mining in the region.
This trawün — a “parliament” or “gathering for discussion” in Mapuzungún — focused on comprehending the watershed as a unified entity and collaborating to conserve both the river and its surrounding territory. Such an endeavor had never been undertaken before.
Despite the vast distances along the river, limited telecommunications, and the slow pace of these discussions, elders emphasize the undeniable value of a trawün.
“We do this by looking each other in the eye,” said elder María Luisa Huincaleo. “If we must travel, we will, but decisions are made collectively, in trawünes, not over the telephone.”
AUSTRALIA: Beef2024 to promote Indigenous flavors
Beef and Native food might not initially seem synonymous, but Bundjalung Man and celebrity chef Mark Olive, also known as “The Black Olive,” are on a mission to alter that perception, National Indigenous Times reported May 2.
Olive joins the celebrity chef lineup at Beef2024 in Rockhampton, Queensland. Guests will indulge in a three-course beef meal infused with native Australian flavors.
The sold-out lunch menu on May 10 will showcase the chef’s rustic flair, featuring dishes like beef skewers with bush tomato relish, outback beef salad, and rib roast with pepper berry.
“The bush tomato, or ‘akudjura’ in Indigenous terms, offers a delightful smoky flavor, distinct from typical tomato-based sauces,” Olive said, according to National Indigenous Times. “Following that, the outback beef salad features wattle seed lemon aspen and honey vinaigrette, seasoned with saltbush, pepper leaf, and green wattle seed, lending it a satay-like taste.”
For the final course, a pepper berry sauce, derived from Tasmanian mountain pepper, complemented by warrigal greens and roasted sweet potatoes, will be served.
Olive hopes diners will depart his lunch with a newfound appreciation for the unique flavors of Australian cuisine. “We’ve embraced culinary cultures from around the globe, yet we’ve overlooked our own native ingredients,” he remarked, according to National Indigenous Times. “Lemon myrtle and wattle seed have been available for decades; it’s time to fully embrace and understand their potential.”
He likened the culinary process to painting, where mixing flavors creates a vibrant palate experience. “We should all have these native ingredients in our cupboards alongside Vegemite,” he said, according to National Indigenous Times.
Beef2024 boasts an impressive lineup of culinary talents throughout the week, including John Torode MBE, Matt Golinski, and Iron Chef Sakai, a crowd favorite from Beef2018.
Beef2024 is a weeklong celebration and exhibition of the beef industry, uniting producers, scientists, chefs, students and exhibitors to showcase all facets of the beef sector.
NORWAY: Sámi council opposes election re-run
The Sámi Parliament’s Executive Council has written a letter to the UN Human Rights Committee opposing the decision to rerun last year’s parliamentary elections, Eye on the Arctic reported April 30.
Last year’s parliamentary elections are slated for a rerun this June, with 65 previously disqualified voters reinstated to the register following a ruling from the Supreme Administrative Court. The Sámi Parliament views this ruling as a violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
“The Executive Board of the Sámi Parliament lends its support to the human rights complaint,” said Pirita Näkkäläjärvi, the Executive Board’s president. “It represents another instance of Finland’s ongoing disregard for international human rights agreements concerning the Sámi Parliament’s electoral roll.”
In 2019, the UN Human Rights Committee criticized Finnish court rulings, while in 2022, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racism and Discrimination issued an opinion deeming Finland’s actions a violation of Sámi people’s rights by adding individuals to the electoral roll against the Sámi Parliament’s wishes.
These committees, known as “treaty bodies,” oversee compliance with treaties and do not accept complaints from official bodies like the Sámi Parliament. Consequently, senior officers of the parliament are endorsing Näkkäläjärvi’s complaint to demonstrate their support.
CANADA: Inuit womens’ lawsuit moves forward
After months of anticipation, a class-action lawsuit filed by two Inuit women alleging harm within the province’s child welfare system is advancing against Quebec and Canada, APTN News reported May 2.
Tanya Jones and an individual identified as A.B. have initiated legal action, alleging decades of neglect by the federal and Quebec governments toward the Inuit population in Nunavik. The complaint, filed on February 21, 2022, asserts that both Quebec and Canada have failed to provide essential child welfare and other crucial health and social services to Inuit and off-reserve Indigenous individuals in Quebec. It seeks reparations for the unequal treatment of these groups.
Jones expressed her anticipation for her story to be heard, aiming to emerge from the shadows cast by the child welfare system’s influence over her life. She seeks to reclaim her voice and share the experiences of Inuit children, including herself, to shed light on their truth and seek healing.
The case underscores systemic underfunding, neglect and the failure of both governments to fulfill their constitutional and legal duties to Inuit children and youth. These failures have resulted in generations of Indigenous individuals being let down by the child welfare system, which withheld funding for basic child welfare prevention services available to non-Indigenous children.
A.B., a survivor of the system, emphasized the importance of recognizing the trauma endured by survivors. She shared her personal experience of enduring abuse as a child in care and expressed her desire not to be left behind, emphasizing the humanity of Indigenous children.
Former senator Charlie Watt highlighted the significance of the class action in drawing attention to the challenges faced by the Inuit community. He emphasized the ongoing separation of youth from their parents into the foster care system, exacerbating high addiction rates in Nunavik. Watt underscored the lack of support and counseling for both youth and parents, exacerbating the trauma experienced.
“When they become 18 years of age, they just throw them out of the door, and they are on their own. So, they’re not getting any counseling, they’re not getting any help whatsoever let alone that their parents or single parents also have gone through a trauma and in regard to the fact that the kids are being taken away,” said Watt, according to APTN News.
The Viens Commission’s 2018 report revealed alarming statistics, indicating that one in three youth in Nunavik would come into contact with child protection services at some point in their lives. Studies further indicated that suicide rates in the region are 10 times higher than in southern Canada, with a significant proportion of suicides occurring among individuals under 25.
My final thoughts
My final thoughts are in China where a report has revealed that Uyghurs face the highest rate of imprisonment globally and underscores a deeply troubling reality. Originating primarily from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwest China, the Uyghurs are a Turkic-speaking ethnic minority group with a rich cultural heritage and history.
However, in recent years, reports have emerged detailing widespread human rights abuses against the Uyghur population, including arbitrary detention, forced labor, and cultural suppression.
This disturbing statistic serves as a stark condemnation of the systematic oppression endured by the Uyghur community. It highlights a grave violation of basic human rights and calls into question the principles of justice and equality.
The international community must respond with urgency and unequivocal condemnation of these egregious abuses. Silence or inaction in the face of such injustice only perpetuates the suffering of the Uyghur people and undermines the collective commitment to upholding human dignity.
To address this crisis, concerted diplomatic efforts are essential. Nations must engage with relevant stakeholders, including the Chinese government, to demand accountability and put an end to the persecution of Uyghurs. Diplomatic pressure, backed by evidence-based advocacy, can compel those responsible to respect the rights and freedoms of the Uyghur population.
Ultimately, the path forward requires a steadfast commitment to dialogue, accountability and justice. Long-term solutions must prioritize the protection of Uyghur rights and dignity, while also fostering genuine reconciliation and healing.
By standing in solidarity with the Uyghur community and advocating for their rights on the global stage, we can work toward a future where all individuals are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve, regardless of their ethnicity or background.
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